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| - Fact Check: Netizens score a self-goal, pass off soccer fan march as anti-lockdown protest
Videos and pictures of a demonstration are going viral with the claim that they show Austrians protesting against the new restrictions imposed in their country to curb the spread of Covid-19.
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India Today Fact Check
Though Austria is witnessing protests against renewed lockdown, this picture shows supporters of German football team Borussia Mönchengladbach marching down a street in Austria’s Graz in 2019.
Massive protests have broken out in Austria, the Netherlands and several other countries against renewed restrictions as Europe battles a fourth wave of Covid cases. The protests have gained momentum, particularly in Austria as the country imposed a nationwide lockdown and mandated vaccines for its entire adult population.
Amid several pictures and videos of the demonstrations in Europe is one that shows a massive crowd marching down a street chanting. Netizens claim this is how Austrians are protesting against the lockdown.
The archived version can be seen here.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the video actually shows supporters of German football team Borussia M¶nchengladbach marching down a street in Austria's Graz in 2019.
AFWA probe
Using InVID tool and reverse image search, we found that the viral clip has been available on the Internet for at least two years now. Many Facebook users had shared the video on November 28, 2019, referring to German football fans in Graz, Austria.
At that time, the YouTube channel of German media outlet "Rheinische Post" uploaded the same video with a German title that translates to, "Borussia M¶nchengladbach: Fans march through Graz."
As per the detailed caption, over 6,000 fans attended Borussia M¶nchengladbach's Europa League game against Wolfsberger AC at the Merkur Arena in Graz, Austria. Many of them took part in the fan march from the city centre to the venue for the game.
Another video footage of the same march showing overhead street decorations can be corroborated with a Google Street View image from the same area. The overhead street decorations can be seen in the viral video too.
Screenshot from YouTube video
Google Street View image
Reuters Fact Check had also debunked the viral claim.
Austria is among the hardest hit by the fourth wave in Europe. Roughly 65 per cent of Austria's adult population is fully vaccinated, which is one of the lowest in Western Europe.
This has forced the government to reinforce a lockdown despite steep resistance from the people. But the viral video is not of a recent demonstration in the country. These are football fans marching on the streets of Austria in 2019.
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